Leadership Playbook for Chief State School Officers

In order to apply this model of values-based leadership to the job of running an SEA, CCSSO and a team from LRN engaged with a group of current and former chiefs to lay out what it looks like when chiefs most fully act as inspirational leaders. Using feedback from these chiefs, we identi ed four imperatives – priorities you must focus on to truly lead in this new way:

• Bring people together by forging relationships built on trust, engaging beyond your core network and supporting stakeholders as they lead.

• Craft and share a vision by co-creating it with your stakeholders, embedding it in your agency’s operations and maintaining focus and alignment around it.

• Unlock potential across the SEA by setting an example, fostering autonomy so all can lead, and supporting and developing your staff.

• Grow as a leader by developing self-awareness, asking for help and focusing your energy for impact.

This playbook is intended as a primer on what inspirational leadership at a state education agency looks like. While it includes the basic good management practices one would expect to nd in such a guide, this playbook also includes detailed descriptions of the types of behaviors and actions unique to inspirational leaders. In addition, we have included tips, case studies, resources, and guiding questions that together aim to make these concepts tangible and meaningful for your context.